It's a good game, but man, I don't know how they let what solid potential it had not be properly executed on. The controls could almost be completely remedied with the addition of the nunchuck, which would add a great level of fluidity in the options of what you can do. If they fixed that the gameplay would be much better, and then we'd only have to worry about Samus' bad voice acting.

You can see glimpses of potential in Other M but overall it takes a while for those moments to shine through.

The people complaining Samus is acting out of character, you're just wrong. She isn't out of character, she's just not the character that you wanted her to be. Because prior to this game, she didn't HAVE any character. The only character she's ever had prior to this come from the manga which next to no one has ever read, and Fusion, and quite frankly, the way she acts in Other M syncs up with both fairly well.

Furthermore, Adam isn't her ex, he's her father figure.

That's not to say the plot doesn't have it's strange moments (the thing with the Varia suit being chief among them), but when they happen, they tend to be very minor in the grand scheme of things. The only complaint that has any genuine merit is her reaction to seeing Ridley, which, most likely, it's a reaction the developers chose in A. a flimsy attempt to make Ridley look more threatening, and B. because they wanted to show her having that reaction ages ago (like in the first Metroid or Super) but couldn't for one reason or another (lack of cutscenes probably) and figured they'd never have another opportunity. Afterall, it's pretty much exactly what happened when she encountered him in the manga as well. A weak excuse, but meh, to be fair, if you had to deal with a big giant space dragon who kept coming back no matter how many times you kill him, always being on the verge of getting killed by it (because usually, Ridley tends to be one of the harder bosses in any given game), always fearing that someday he'll catch you off guard or in a moment of weakness and finally get the better of you, before going on to set the universe ablaze and conquer it, that could scare the piss out of you. And emotional traumas do have a tendency to occasionally resurface at the strangest and most unfortunate of times in real life.

Also, when Samus is speaking in a monotone, that's not bad acting, because that's exactly what the developers told her to do. That monotone was a conscious decision on the creator's part, so acting wise, it's pretty much exactly the way it's supposed to be.

EDIT: Apparently I'm not done venting about this...

Samus is still a badass. She still massacres aliens without hesitation, in even flashier and more badass ways than before. All this 'crying' and 'whining' she does? She keeps it to herself, in an internal monologue, save for one emotional moment closer to the end. It's not like she's imposing her problems on anybody else. And you're telling her she's not allowed to do that. You're basically saying that she's not allowed to be a goddamned human being, because that ruins your illusion of her being a bloody robot. Ignoring the one strange aforementioned incident with Ridley, she never hesitates, she's never afraid, she never lacks confidence in combat. She lacks confidence in what Adam thinks of her because, oh my god, real people worry about disappointing their parental figures! Especially when said parental figure is probably the only person in the universe left she actually cares for. She also spends a fair portion of the game in emotional shock that people are sacrificing their lives for her, starting with the baby metroid. Even when she allows Adam to refuse her access to her abilities, she doesn't complain, she just keeps going and kicks ass without them, because she doesn't need them. When she DOES need them, she doesn't hesitate to use them, regardless of whether she has authorization, like when she gets the space jump and screw attack, sarcastically asking 'Any objections, Adam?', or when using the power bomb at the end of the game. The more abilities you have, the less badass she comes off as anyway, because the most awesome things she does are the overblasts and lethal kills she does near the beginning, that she can't do near the end because you're just one-shotting everything, which, running around with an overpowered gun isn't really the most awesome thing ever.

To me, all this complaining and bitching about how Samus doesn't act the way you want her to, even if the way she acts is actually perfectly logical for a real human being or is a completely in-character moment, all your whining is far far worse than anything Samus does in this game. I'd rather play as a character who has problems but doesn't let them get in the way of kicking ass instead of some hyper manly silent killing machine who doesn't bother with emotions because they're for women and pussies, and at least she doesn't let her problems get the better of her, instead of everyone who's actually refusing to play an otherwise great game just because they don't wanna hear her talk to herself.

EDIT the second: And while I'm ranting and bitching myself, I never once had any problems with the controls. Maybe I'm just magical that way, but they struck me as perfectly fine. Even the supposed difficulty of switching between 3rd and 1st person was easy, what with the fact that the game even has the courtesy of going into slo-motion when you switch. The fact that you can't dodge in 1st person just means you actually have to think about when to switch instead of just doing it whenever. You're giving up mobility for power, it's supposed to actually be a decision to make.

Why? It didn't seem to bother her in all the other games, where she singehandedly wiped out a whole species... why now? Because Sakamoto is a pretentious douche, who tries to be the complete opposite of Myamoto this also reflects in his games, while myamotos are fun, his games are pretentios. I'm Glad he didn't have the controll over Metroid Prime.

I know what you mean, I haven't had a single problem with the controls or the camera, in fact, that's true for a lot of games I play with supposedly 'bad' controls and camera. Maybe people just suck at using joypads.

as for the game it self, yeah, the scanning is annoying, and the slow walk is kinda pointless, and the being in first person to pop off a missile sucks, but far from a deal breaker (i don't spam em anyway, what the charge beams for) the VO and cut scenes i actually like, little long, but since she's been silent the last 20+ years, i don't mind

Assuming that "The Manga" is canon, there's seven games that take place between it and MOM. Seven games in which she's blown up entire planets, kicked Ridley's butt several times over, and become one of, if not the, greatest weapons the G-Feds have in their fight against the Space Pirate menace.

As far as game play mechanics go, there is a way to incorporate theupgrade system into a metroid game and not have Samus look like a girlthat droops her purse whenever she tries to walk in high heals or a mindless puppet of a psudo father figure. Tie the use of Samus Aran's items to her collection of Energy Tanks.Samus has full access to all her items at the beginning but each itemrequires a certain amount of power to use it for a period of time.Then the item is deactivated and Samus must deplete the appropriateamount of power to reactivate the item. For example, the Varia suitcould require two energy tanks to turn on and will remain active for30 minutes. The screw attack would require five energy tanks and onlylast for 7 minutes. The more energy tanks a player acquires, the moreareas of the map become available. This could also inspire new andinteresting environmental puzzles.

So, let me get this straight. This game unabashedly rapes Samus's characterization by making her completely define herself by the man in her life, which is exactly what Samus should never, ever be doing, and all this review can say is "Oh well. La-la" ?

So, let me get this straight. This game unabashedly rapes Samus's characterization by making her completely define herself by the man in her life, which is exactly what Samus should never, ever be doing, and all this review can say is "Oh well. La-la" ?

That's despicable.

No, that's not it at all. First off, the 'man' is her surrogate father, not her boyfriend as the review stated. Second, she doesn't define her life by him at all, BUT prior to the events in this game, she had a falling out with the man and left on bad terms, and hasn't seen or spoken to him since. So yes, a good part of the game does deal with the way she's feels about him, and at one point she's briefly concerned over what his opinion of her would be, after reminiscing about some of the things she's done that she probably shouldn't have, in the same way that most children worry about disappointing their parents. But that's not defining her life around him, that's dealing with current events. And if you think that rapes her characterization, then it means your idea of how she was characterized previously is wrong.

The only thing remotely resembling character derailing is an already infamous scene involving Ridley, in which said 'man' Adam isn't involved in the slightest, and even that scene can be explained away via A. reading the Metroid manga, and B. taking into account the emotional and mental stress she's already gone through by that point in the game. Though the fact that you'd need to have read a manga to understand what's going on at all is a sign that they didn't do a good enough job explaining the situation in-game where they should've. They could've done a better job showing her characterization, but they sure as hell didn't rape it.

Confirmed22:As far as game play mechanics go, there is a way to incorporate theupgrade system into a metroid game and not have Samus look like a girlthat droops her purse whenever she tries to walk in high heals or a mindless puppet of a psudo father figure. Tie the use of Samus Aran's items to her collection of Energy Tanks.Samus has full access to all her items at the beginning but each itemrequires a certain amount of power to use it for a period of time.Then the item is deactivated and Samus must deplete the appropriateamount of power to reactivate the item. For example, the Varia suitcould require two energy tanks to turn on and will remain active for30 minutes. The screw attack would require five energy tanks and onlylast for 7 minutes. The more energy tanks a player acquires, the moreareas of the map become available. This could also inspire new andinteresting environmental puzzles.

That's a terrible idea. Energy tanks have always been optional items to be found, many of them quite difficult. Players who failed to find them all would just be screwed. Getting 100% would practically be mandatory to beat the game. Not to mention it doesn't make any damn sense. Why would she already have her powers but somehow not have the power to use them?

Other than the Varia Suit, the authorization system at least made sense, and it didn't make Samus look like she was a puppet at all considering that she could afford to turn her abilities off because she clearly didn't need them, turning them off was rationalized as using some of them would kill and destroy everything around you that you're trying to keep alive/intact, and when she DOES need them, she just turns them on anyways regardless of whether she has authorization or not.

I don't know if anyone has said this, but it needs to be said, since I'm fucking sick hearing of the same thing:SAMUS HAS ALWAYS CANONICALLY LIKE THAT! LOOK AT THE SOURCE MATERIAL!! WE fans are the ones who created that lunk-head, "doesn't give a damn about life" version of Samus, we fans, who didn't read the original material. And FUCK, can you blame her? Let's take a look, shall we?Her biological parents mercilessly killed in front of her (and the monster that killed them keeps coming back), her adopted Chozo parents disappeared, she had a falling out of some kind with father figure number three(Adam!), and the baby Metroid she had some kind of maternal feelings for was just horribly killed protecting her. And, yeah, it's pretty much thrown at you that Adam was always a father figure to her, not a love interest. And Other M got me interested in Metroid! I dread having to play the Prime Trilogy again, BECAUSE it's just another idiot FPS with Metroid slapped on it. You call yourselves gamers and fans, then at LEAST learn about the fucking games you're whining about. Shame on ALL of you. And about Ridley, and why she's freaked at him coming back? Well, first, if something like THAT massacred your parents when you were five? You wouldn't be that happy to see him either. Second, wouldn't YOU be traumatized that he KEPT COMING BACK! You kill him, what, 4 times now? And he KEEPS COMING BACK! And finally, the only damning thing about that reaction, is that since this is the first one where they, the director of the game, being Japanese again, had the ability to show her expression WELL.

So, let me get this straight. This game unabashedly rapes Samus's characterization by making her completely define herself by the man in her life, which is exactly what Samus should never, ever be doing, and all this review can say is "Oh well. La-la" ?

That's despicable.

No, that's not it at all. First off, the 'man' is her surrogate father, not her boyfriend as the review stated. Second, she doesn't define her life by him at all, BUT prior to the events in this game, she had a falling out with the man and left on bad terms, and hasn't seen or spoken to him since, so yes, a good part of the game does deal with the way she's feels about him, and at one point she's briefly concerned over what his opinion of her would be, after reminiscing about some of the things she's done that she probably shouldn't have, in the same way that most children worry about disappointing their parents. But that's not defining her life around him, that's dealing with current events. And if you think that rapes her characterization, then it means your idea of how she was characterized previously was wrong.

The only thing remotely resembling character derailing is an already infamous scene involving Ridley, in which said 'man' Adam isn't involved in the slightest, and even that scene can be explained away via A. reading the Metroid manga, and B. taking into account the emotional and mental stress she's already gone through by that point in the game. Though the fact that you'd need to have read a manga to understand what's going on at all is a sign that they didn't do a good enough job explaining the situation in-game where they should've. They could've done a better job showing her characterization, but they sure as hell didn't rape it.

Confirmed22:As far as game play mechanics go, there is a way to incorporate theupgrade system into a metroid game and not have Samus look like a girlthat droops her purse whenever she tries to walk in high heals or a mindless puppet of a psudo father figure. Tie the use of Samus Aran's items to her collection of Energy Tanks.Samus has full access to all her items at the beginning but each itemrequires a certain amount of power to use it for a period of time.Then the item is deactivated and Samus must deplete the appropriateamount of power to reactivate the item. For example, the Varia suitcould require two energy tanks to turn on and will remain active for30 minutes. The screw attack would require five energy tanks and onlylast for 7 minutes. The more energy tanks a player acquires, the moreareas of the map become available. This could also inspire new andinteresting environmental puzzles.

That's a terrible idea. Energy tanks have always been optional items to be found, many of them quite difficult. Players who failed to find them all would just be screwed. Getting 100% would practically be mandatory to beat the game. Not to mention it doesn't make any damn sense. Why would she already have her powers but somehow not have the power to use them?

Other than the Varia Suit, the authorization system at least made sense, and it didn't make Samus look like she was a puppet at all considering that she could afford to turn her abilities off because she clearly didn't need them, turning them off was rationalized as using some of them would kill and destroy everything around you that you're trying to keep alive/intact, and when she DOES need them, she just turns them on anyways regardless of whether she has authorization or not.

Glad someone else here actually knows WTF they're talking about.

And, according to my sources, the Varia suit, amongst the Japanese, who developed it, ABSOLUTE loyalty to your C.O. like that is just an accepted fact of life. It's weird, considering Sammy is a BOUNTY HUNTER, but hey, she's never really been a bounty hunter in the sense of the word anyways.

Doomsdaylee:And, according to my sources, the Varia suit, amongst the Japanese, who developed it, ABSOLUTE loyalty to your C.O. like that is just an accepted fact of life. It's weird, considering Sammy is a BOUNTY HUNTER, but hey, she's never really been a bounty hunter in the sense of the word anyways.

Weeell, the thing is, Samus DOES have a rebellious streak. She showed that in Fusion, and admitted to it in Other M. While there is a sense of loyalty there between them, I don't think it's that loyalty alone that keeps her from using it, considering her history of rebellion. It's more likely that the time it would take to argue about it is costly when there's so much stuff going on that needs to be dealt with, and that she probably felt like she didn't need it and that it just wasn't worth fighting with him over, especially when she was there for the purpose of trying to help him out.

Doomsdaylee:Various whining about people complaining about things that don't make sense

Well kid, news flash. The FANS are the ones who give the money to idiots like Sakamoto to make games. So he should listen to THE FANS. Remember what happened with the character model in Infamous 2? (that's the most recent example i can think of off the top of my head) That's the developer listening to THE FANS because he knows where his money comes from.

Were I as genocidal as Samus (she wiped out Zebes twice and SR388), I'd be laughing maniacally at the chane to kill my most hated enemy again AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!

And about Adam being a father figure , not an ex? I said it before. Oedipus complex. The way she talks about him, it's the only explanation. Look it up in between your Sakamoto worship. You might learn something.

MasterV:Well kid, news flash. The FANS are the ones who give the money to idiots like Sakamoto to make games. So he should listen to THE FANS. Remember what happened with the character model in Infamous 2? (that's the most recent example i can think of off the top of my head) That's the developer listening to THE FANS because he knows where his money comes from.

And here's a newsflash for you. Most fans? They're idiots. Letting the fans make a game is the fastest way to ruin it. Hell, for starters, not even all the so-called 'fans' are in agreement. If Samus was characterized the way you want her to be, I'd be bitching just as hard about how her character was derailed and how awful she is, as would everyone who actually likes the way she was portrayed in this game, which is at least as many people as there are who disliked it. Right now, everyone bitching about Samus's character being wrong is just immature and whining cause they didn't get what they want.

Were I as genocidal as Samus (she wiped out Zebes twice and SR388), I'd be laughing maniacally at the chane to kill my most hated enemy again AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!

Yes, but then you would be a psychopath. Not only is that not a positive trait, but to expect anything even remotely like that from a Nintendo game of all things is idiocy unparalleled.

And about Adam being a father figure , not an ex? I said it before. Oedipus complex. The way she talks about him, it's the only explanation. Look it up in between your Sakamoto worship. You might learn something.

No, it really isn't the only explanation. And just because somebody actually likes the game, or likes the way she was portrayed, doesn't instantly make them a Sakamoto worshipping fanboy. I can point out a hundred things the game did wrong, which would include presentation used to portray Samus character. But the actual characterization itself? That isn't one of them.

Not to mention, as I said before, this is the FIRST Metroid game I've played seriously. TBH, I didn't even know the directors name. Otherwise, I'da used it instead of saying "That Japanese Director guy."

MasterV:Well kid, news flash. The FANS are the ones who give the money to idiots like Sakamoto to make games. So he should listen to THE FANS. Remember what happened with the character model in Infamous 2? (that's the most recent example i can think of off the top of my head) That's the developer listening to THE FANS because he knows where his money comes from.

And here's a newsflash for you. Most fans? They're idiots. Letting the fans make a game is the fastest way to ruin it. Hell, for starters, not even all the so-called 'fans' are in agreement. If Samus was characterized the way you want her to be, I'd be bitching just as hard about how her character was derailed and how awful she is, as would everyone who actually likes the way she was portrayed in this game, which is at least as many people as there are who disliked it. Right now, everyone bitching about Samus's character being wrong is just immature and whining cause they didn't get what they want.

Let's not forget band wagon haters, who watch other peoples reviews and just agree with them before forming an opinion of their own.

Gizen:The people complaining Samus is acting out of character, you're just wrong. She isn't out of character, she's just not the character that you wanted her to be. Because prior to this game, she didn't HAVE any character. The only character she's ever had prior to this come from the manga which next to no one has ever read, and Fusion, and quite frankly, the way she acts in Other M syncs up with both fairly well.

Furthermore, Adam isn't her ex, he's her father figure.

That's not to say the plot doesn't have it's strange moments (the thing with the Varia suit being chief among them), but when they happen, they tend to be very minor in the grand scheme of things. The only complaint that has any genuine merit is her reaction to seeing Ridley, which, most likely, it's a reaction the developers chose in A. a flimsy attempt to make Ridley look more threatening, and B. because they wanted to show her having that reaction ages ago (like in the first Metroid or Super) but couldn't for one reason or another (lack of cutscenes probably) and figured they'd never have another opportunity. Afterall, it's pretty much exactly what happened when she encountered him in the manga as well. A weak excuse, but meh, to be fair, if you had to deal with a big giant space dragon who kept coming back no matter how many times you kill him, always being on the verge of getting killed by it (because usually, Ridley tends to be one of the harder bosses in any given game), always fearing that someday he'll catch you off guard or in a moment of weakness and finally get the better of you, before going on to set the universe ablaze and conquer it, that could scare the piss out of you. And emotional traumas do have a tendency to occasionally resurface at the strangest and most unfortunate of times in real life.

Also, when Samus is speaking in a monotone, that's not bad acting, because that's exactly what the developers told her to do. That monotone was a conscious decision on the creator's part, so acting wise, it's pretty much exactly the way it's supposed to be.

EDIT: Apparently I'm not done venting about this...

Samus is still a badass. She still massacres aliens without hesitation, in even flashier and more badass ways than before. All this 'crying' and 'whining' she does? She keeps it to herself, in an internal monologue, save for one emotional moment closer to the end. It's not like she's imposing her problems on anybody else. And you're telling her she's not allowed to do that. You're basically saying that she's not allowed to be a goddamned human being, because that ruins your illusion of her being a bloody robot. Ignoring the one strange aforementioned incident with Ridley, she never hesitates, she's never afraid, she never lacks confidence in combat. She lacks confidence in what Adam thinks of her because, oh my god, real people worry about disappointing their parental figures! Especially when said parental figure is probably the only person in the universe left she actually cares for. She also spends a fair portion of the game in emotional shock that people are sacrificing their lives for her, starting with the baby metroid. Even when she allows Adam to refuse her access to her abilities, she doesn't complain, she just keeps going and kicks ass without them, because she doesn't need them. When she DOES need them, she doesn't hesitate to use them, regardless of whether she has authorization, like when she gets the space jump and screw attack, sarcastically asking 'Any objections, Adam?', or when using the power bomb at the end of the game. The more abilities you have, the less badass she comes off as anyway, because the most awesome things she does are the overblasts and lethal kills she does near the beginning, that she can't do near the end because you're just one-shotting everything, which, running around with an overpowered gun isn't really the most awesome thing ever.

To me, all this complaining and bitching about how Samus doesn't act the way you want her to, even if the way she acts is actually perfectly logical for a real human being or is a completely in-character moment, all your whining is far far worse than anything Samus does in this game. I'd rather play as a character who has problems but doesn't let them get in the way of kicking ass instead of some hyper manly silent killing machine who doesn't bother with emotions because they're for women and pussies, and at least she doesn't let her problems get the better of her, instead of everyone who's actually refusing to play an otherwise great game just because they don't wanna hear her talk to herself.

EDIT the second: And while I'm ranting and bitching myself, I never once had any problems with the controls. Maybe I'm just magical that way, but they struck me as perfectly fine. Even the supposed difficulty of switching between 3rd and 1st person was easy, what with the fact that the game even has the courtesy of going into slo-motion when you switch. The fact that you can't dodge in 1st person just means you actually have to think about when to switch instead of just doing it whenever. You're giving up mobility for power, it's supposed to actually be a decision to make.

This is pretty much how I've felt with Other M; I just beat it and loved 99% of it. Is it as good as the best the series has to offer (best being Prime and Fusion for me)? No, but it's still damn good and tries new things with the series that I want them to explore further. Samus' characterization I also didn't have a problem with. Call a me a pansy or a lover of drama, but I prefer it when a character has some depth instead of being a blank-slate Mary-Sue the player can project onto. Samus has character now, sure we had to sacrifice that shallow, fan-projected bad-assery for it but it was worth it to see Samus be a human instead of an avatar for the player or a boring generic action chick like 90% of the other heroines in gaming who are so caught up in looking "badass" that they forget to place any other traits on them.

i'll probably snag this; after it being on the shelf for a week first. I want to make sure i get my money's worth when i do get it. I might borrow it from a friend or watch some gameplay trailers first tho.

not expecting the next metroid prime-esque master piece (it WAS that good); so if it does better than my expectations i'll be that much happier about it.

... Oh, of course. You're absolutely right, sir. It's not this game that's the problem. It's us plebs who've only played the games and see Samus as an assertive, resourceful, self-sufficient and courageous space explorer and bounty hunter, and not the brooding, insecure, impotent, co-dependent, self-doubting, vulnerable, delicate flower that she's actually been this whole time, which we'd all know if we'd read the manga like you real fans. Thank you for enlightening us with your wisdom.

Come on, do you really expect me to buy that? Do you really think it matters one way or another if it's boyfriend-issues or daddy-issues? At the end of the day, they still turned this:

into this:

Samus used to be THIS:

But now she's this:

Are you really trying to defend this creative decision?

What is it you care about, exactly? The character of Samus Aran, or the fluff you've been spoon-fed by third-party manga writers who want to make a quick buck on your devotion to this series? It seems like you're more interested in preserving the "vision" of these merchandisers than what Samus actually stands for among thousands of gamers--that being not a hollow vessel, but a genuine symbol and model of assertiveness. Not aggression, not "badassery," but assertiveness. You're putting her obnoxious daddy issues over an ideal that people can aspire to, just because some publisher says they're canon?

... Oh, of course. You're absolutely right, sir. It's not this game that's the problem. It's us plebs who've only played the games and see Samus as an assertive, resourceful, self-sufficient and courageous space explorer and bounty hunter, and not the brooding, insecure, impotent, co-dependent, self-doubting, vulnerable, delicate flower that she's actually been this whole time, which we'd all know if we'd read the manga like you real fans. Thank you for enlightening us with your wisdom.

Come on, do you really expect me to buy that? Do you really think it matters one way or another if it's boyfriend-issues or daddy-issues? At the end of the day, they still turned this:

into this:

Samus used to be THIS:

But now she's this:

Are you really trying to defend this creative decision?

What is it you care about, exactly? The character of Samus Aran, or the fluff you've been spoon-fed by third-party manga writers who want to make a quick buck on your devotion to this series? It seems like you're more interested in preserving the "vision" of these merchandisers than what Samus actually stands for among thousands of gamers--that being not a hollow vessel, but a genuine symbol and model of assertiveness. Not aggression, not "badassery," but assertiveness. You're putting her obnoxious daddy issues over an ideal that people can aspire to, just because some publisher says they're canon?

Opinions are like arseholes.

I'd rather have a a flawed character than a blank slate silent protagonist.And the annoying thing is, Bobba Fett isn't a character, he's some sort of cult idol that Star Wars fans nerdgasm over depsite doing nothing except die and Ripley was just as terrfied of the xenomorphs as Samus was of Ridley.

For everyone who points to the Manga: Who the fuck cares about the Manga, I expect her to be a faceless bounty hunter the way she was in EVERY SINGLE GAME! If you are fine with Sakamoto raping this character, it is your decision, but thinking we are not allowed to critisize this game because the manga ruined her character before the game is just pathetic.

I haven't played it yet so I can't fully judge - but to be honest it doesn't look like Metroid to me. I know others have pointed this out, but I'll also admit I don't like how they are portraying Samus as she seems so much more fragile, stereotyped and the exact opposite of what she should be. Honestly they can explore her past, her maternal emotions over the baby Metroid and her hatred and even latent fear of Ridley for what he did to her and her family in the past but they can do this and she can still be a tough bad ass who never backs away from a fight and always stands up and holds her own as a lone gunner you don't EVER fuck with. Truthfully, despite the fact she never really talked beyond text scrolls before, this is why Samus has always been my favourite female video game character. I'm a *somewhat* feminist and always felt that too many female video game characters were overplayed for sex value or were stereotyped. Not really offended by that, but it meant I didn't like their characters so much and yet Samus sticks out. Sure we got to see her in her bikini and skin tight Zero Suit, but despite being a bit of a feminist I can still honestly say there ain't anything wrong with showing a little sexiness as long as it's not her sole gimmick.

I haven't played the game yet so I can't really judge it but the gameplay, from the videos, doesn't appeal to me. Once again to say whether it's bad or good will be based when I actually play it but it simply doesn't look like my kind of game and I wasn't fond of Ninja Gaiden or Team Ninja's other games, so beyond being Metroid it doesn't really look appealing to me even if it turns out it's a masterpiece for gamers who do like that style gameplay.

And the annoying thing is, Bobba Fett isn't a character, he's some sort of cult idol that Star Wars fans nerdgasm over depsite doing nothing except die and Ripley was just as terrfied of the xenomorphs as Samus was of Ridley.

Ripley was terrified of the Xenomorphs. Visibly, at least. But do you see her cowering at the sight of them in Aliens? No, she learns how to use the weapons available to her and by the end of the film is walking straight into the middle of their nest. And when the queen follows her out, she doesn't freeze up, she goes to get the loader so she has a means to try to kick some alien tail.

Compare to Samus, who over the course of seven games took on Ridley multiple times without a problem, then suddenly in MOM she freezes up at the sight of him for some reason.

If you're trying to compare Samus and Ripley, they go in opposite directions.

And the annoying thing is, Bobba Fett isn't a character, he's some sort of cult idol that Star Wars fans nerdgasm over depsite doing nothing except die and Ripley was just as terrfied of the xenomorphs as Samus was of Ridley.

Ripley was terrified of the Xenomorphs. Visibly, at least. But do you see her cowering at the sight of them in Aliens? No, she learns how to use the weapons available to her and by the end of the film is walking straight into the middle of their nest. And when the queen follows her out, she doesn't freeze up, she goes to get the loader so she has weight to put behind her threat of "Get away from her you B****!"

Compare to Samus, who over the course of seven games took on Ridley multiple times without a problem, then suddenly in MOM she freezes up at the sight of him for some reason.

If you're trying to compare Samus and Ripley, they go in opposite directions.

Samus has never had any past characterisation, she didn't have a character, she was a female Masterchief, sure she kicks arse but there's no substance, I'm not a massive Metroid fan so I'm not that butt-hurt about this as all the 'real' fans are, MOM may not have done it in the best way, but at least Samus actually has a character now.

I must say I really enjoyed this game... after the credits rolled and it turned into a real Metroid game.

We all knew deep down that a cinematically driven character piece in a Metroid game would be terrible and ignorable at best. And ignore it I did; I don't need Nintendo's desparate attempt to reinvent it's coolest franchise and appeal to chelsea wearing teens (and morons who think flawed characters automatically equals good writing) to tell me who Samus is. The real bug in this game is that it's missing two keystones that the franchise is normally best at: isolation and exploration. The game is totally linear and you're constantly in contact with other characters, stripping this game of everything (except fun combat) that makes Metroid great. I'm level headed enough to be okay with Nintendo wanting to experiment; I just hope they don't consider this a "new direction" for the franchise.

But like I said, after you complete the story (in under 10 hours, too) and the credits roll, it sets you out to free roam the map and dig for all the things you missed before, and also throws in a very awesome boss fight to boot. I know it turns out to be for a stupid story driven reason in the end, but at least it stops trying to conrol everything you do for a few damn hours. So yeah, the story is shit, but it's over quick, and then the game gets pretty good.

So I think Metroid fans should definitely give this a try, just be ready to spend a lot of time with your eyes facing your brain and don't take it too seriously.

... Oh, of course. You're absolutely right, sir. It's not this game that's the problem. It's us plebs who've only played the games and see Samus as an assertive, resourceful, self-sufficient and courageous space explorer and bounty hunter, and not the brooding, insecure, impotent, co-dependent, self-doubting, vulnerable, delicate flower that she's actually been this whole time, which we'd all know if we'd read the manga like you real fans. Thank you for enlightening us with your wisdom.

No, it's that you can't see that just because Samus isn't invincible and actually has issues to deal with, that doesn't make her any less assertive, resourceful, self-sufficient, or courageous. She asserts herself when she essentially tells Adam to fuck off and starts using her abilities on her own. She's resourceful everytime she DOESN'T use her abilities, because that's actually what being resourceful is about, making the best of what you have. The more you have, the less you need to rely on every resource. Once you have the screw attack, how often do you really need to use most of your other attacks? How often do Overblasts and Lethal Finishes get used when all the enemies die in one attack? She's self-sufficient in that she never asks for help, not once, even when Ridley's wrecking her, and she still spends the vast majority of the game alone kicking ass all by herself. And she's courageous when even after Ridley's surprised her, traumatized her, and just all in all freaked her out, she still turns around and faces him anyways, and kicks his ass.

She's most certainly not impotent, otherwise she wouldn't have won in the end. She's hardly co-dependent when she functions just fine before and after everyone else is dead. And she's hardly delicate, what with all the ass-kicking that she does. And just because she does some brooding, has moments of doubt or weakness, that doesn't mean she IS weak, or that she's always insecure. Everybody has their moments of weakness, that's called BEING HUMAN. And half the point of this game was to humanize Samus, which wasn't going to happen if she just went around being awesome 24/7.

In Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett wasn't a person. Oh sure, he LOOKED cool, but he never acted awesome in the slightest. He was given no personality, he never had any particularly awesome action sequences, and he went out like a complete and utter chump. Boba Fett was infinitely better after they actually gave him some CHARACTER. And I'm not talking about Episodes 1-3, I'm talking about things like the short story of him from Tales of the Bounty Hunters, where they made him a real person, and still managed to make him absolutely kick ass, which is much what they did with Samus in this game. She still does all the ass-kicking, and looks awesome doing it.

I'm not going to bother quoting your picture of what's her name from Twilight, because she doesn't deserve to even have her face posted once, let alone twice, but are you really trying to compare Samus, who even at her most vulnerable still kills fierce aliens without a second thought, and has no problems at all moving on without Adam, especially considering she's the one who left when they had their falling out, to what's-er-name, who literally can't do anything on her own, and wants to commit suicide when the sparkly vampire leaves her? How can you be so STUPID? Get this through your thick skull, not everyone who has an emotional problem is a blight on society. Grow the fuck up, and get over this whole 'feelings are for sissies, babies, and whiners' bullshit, it makes you sound like a little kid.

Are you really trying to defend this creative decision?

What is it you care about, exactly? The character of Samus Aran, or the fluff you've been spoon-fed by third-party manga writers who want to make a quick buck on your devotion to this series? It seems like you're more interested in preserving the "vision" of these merchandisers than what Samus actually stands for among thousands of gamers--that being not a hollow vessel, but a genuine symbol and model of assertiveness. Not aggression, not "badassery," but assertiveness. You're putting her obnoxious daddy issues over an ideal that people can aspire to, just because some publisher says they're canon?

Actually, personally, I disliked the manga, but reading it does help understand what the angle is that they're going for here. And here's the thing, being a hollow vessel is exactly what you're arguing she should be. Your claiming she should be an ideal, not a character. That would make her nothing more than a hollow vessel to put forth that ideal. What exactly is it that you expect her to do? When Adam tells her to obey his orders the very first time, do you expect her to tell him to fuck off? And then what? Adam is forced to tell her to get off the ship for getting in the way of a military operation? And if she pushes the issue and refuses, all the soldiers are forced to turn on her for going against them and putting their mission in jeopardy, forcing Samus to kill, or seriously injure the very people she's there to help and rescue? What do you think would happen if you charged into a military zone with god knows how many weapons, and they told you to drop your weapons, you think they would accept any answer other than 'Yes, sir'? You think being assertive means never having any doubts, never being concerned over what other people say? There just isn't any other way to say it other than no, you're wrong.

Somebody can be worth aspiring, can still be a symbol, can still represent admirable traits worth aspiring to, while still being a flawed human being. Not even the best of role models are perfect.

droppingpenny:For everyone who points to the Manga: Who the fuck cares about the Manga, I expect her to be a faceless bounty hunter the way she was in EVERY SINGLE GAME! If you are fine with Sakamoto raping this character, it is your decision, but thinking we are not allowed to critisize this game because the manga ruined her character before the game is just pathetic.

Oh, every single game huh? I guess if you completely ignore Fusion, Zero Mission, and the opening sequence to Super, I guess you'd be right, but then, that wouldn't be every single game, now would it?

It's funny, because I see so many people on this site scream about how bad silent protagonists are, but then when they take one of them and give them a personality they bitch and moan because its not how it used to be.